Arctic Cold Snap Sets Up Possible South Snow, Ice

A​n arctic chilly snap will plunge into the nation starting this weekend, setting the stage for a possible wintry mess of snow and ice from components of the South into the East within the week forward.

F​or some, this can be a dramatic change from what in any other case has been one of the warmest Januaries on record. S​o let’s begin by laying out who will turn into a lot colder and when, adopted by the wintry mess which will outcome.

C​previous Snap Timing

R​ockies, Plains

This sharply colder air will dive into the northern Rockies, Northern and Central Plains by Saturday, then plunge into the Southern Plains, together with Oklahoma and components of western and northern Texas, by Sunday.

It’s in these areas the place chilly air can be most persistent, lasting into a lot of the week forward.

S​ubzero lows are attainable as far south as northern Illinois, Iowa, western Kansas and jap Colorado. Teens and 20s under zero are attainable within the coldest spots of the northern Rockies and Northern Plains. At occasions, sturdy winds may result in harmful wind chills in these areas.

I​n Oklahoma, northern and western Texas, subfreezing lows may be anticipated within the week forward, and some days may even see excessive temperatures stay under freezing.

H​owever, this chilly snap isn’t forecast to be almost as chilly, nor final so long as both the historic February 2021 cold wave, or the late January-early February 2019 outbreak.

(​MORE MAPS: 10-Day U.S. Forecast Highs/Lows)

R​est of the South and East

T​he chilly air will steadily ooze into the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and Northeast early within the week forward.

I​n the remainder of the South, the chilly air will solely slowly progress into the decrease Mississippi Valley, Tennessee Valley and Carolinas first round Wednesday or Thursday, then the remainder of the Southeast by the tip of the week.

While components of the South will see a minimum of subfreezing low temperatures, w​e will not be anticipating widespread freezing temperatures into the Deep South almost to the magnitude of the pre-Christmas cold wave.

S​nowy, Icy Mess?

First up, a wintry system, named Winter Storm Leona by The Weather Channel, will unfold a roughly west-to-east band of average to heavy snow from the Rockies to components of the Plains, Great Lakes and inside Northeast by Sunday.

After that, a basic sample within the coronary heart of winter units up a possible mess of snow and ice within the week forward.

A stationary entrance marking the boundary of the arctic air mass will hang around from the Southern Plains to the East Coast. With an lively jet stream using excessive of it and moist air pulled north from the Gulf over the chilly air, it is a prime setup for a number of rounds of snow, sleet and freezing rain on the chilly aspect of that entrance.

While the important thing forecast particulars haven’t but come into focus this far upfront, areas from western and northern Texas and Oklahoma eastward into Kentucky, Tennessee and probably components of Virginia and North Carolina have one of the best probability of seeing a minimum of one spherical of snow and/or ice within the week forward.

(​FORECAST: 7-Day U.S. Rain, Snow, Ice Maps)

If you reside in, or have journey plans to those areas, preserve this potential in thoughts and verify again incessantly for updates to this forecast within the days forward.

The Weather Company’s main journalistic mission is to report on breaking climate news, the surroundings and the significance of science to our lives. This story doesn’t essentially characterize the place of our mother or father firm, IBM.